Former Directors of Arkane Studios Announce New Independent Game Studio, WolfEye Studios

World-class creatives come together to create a brand new, globally distributed studio

Nov. 20^th, 2019 – THE BEYOND – Twenty years after the creation of Arkane Studios, former President and Creative Director, Raphael Colantonio and former Executive Producer, Julien Roby, announce WolfEye Studios.

As a fully distributed team, WolfEye Studios aims to create games in which players live their own adventures in rich simulated worlds that respond to actions and decisions in ways that are unique to each playthrough. Today, the studio released a teaser image for its first title, which will be announced at The Game Awards in December.

Colantonio’s nearly 20-year long career as the founder and creative director at Arkane Studios paved the way for some of the game industry’s most revered and groundbreaking titles. Roby has a deep bench of experience in the industry as well, having produced some legendary titles like Dishonored and Arx Fatalis and having worked alongside Colantonio for more than 12 years. After departing from Arkane, the duo spent time away from any one particular project before coming back together to form WolfEye.

“After taking some time off, and consulting for a variety of video games companies, I’m ready for a new adventure” added Colantonio, President and Creative Director at WolfEye. “The AAA market is risk-averse and innovation suffers from it. As a Game Designer, I’ve been wanting to try new ideas and approaches, and I believe independent games are in the best space to do so.”

“This is an incredible opportunity to work together again with Raf, being able to build the kind of unique and deep games we love to play,” said Roby, CEO and Executive Producer at WolfEye. “The decision to work as a distributed team around the world has meant we’re able to find some of the best talents in the industry to help craft our vision.”

Follow WolfEye Studios on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for news and updates.

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About WolfEye Studios

WolfEye Studios is a veteran distributed development team with a proven passion for immersive games that feature original worlds and strong audio. With WolfEye, the team is pushing its passion further and go deeper with the simulation and gameplay possibilities by focusing on interactions more than they ever did in their past games. WolfEye values bold art direction and stylized graphics. Simplified visual production pipeline allows them to be more agile and focus on what really matters: player experience as a whole.

For more information, please visit – www.wolfeye-studios.com.

Los Angeles, CA – November 20, 2019 – Mythical Games (http://mythical.games), a next generation game technology studio specializing in digital ecosystems around player-owned economies, today announced that the company has closed an additional $19 Million USD in venture funding. Led by Javelin Venture Partners, new investors include Avon Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and Hashed as well as participation from current investors Galaxy Digital via its Galaxy EOS VC Fund and Struck Capital. Mythical Games raised $16 Million last year in Seed and Series A rounds, bringing total funding to $35 Million to date. Mythical is embracing a future in which gaming entertainment’s foundation is built on intimate ties between players, influencers and content creators, brands and game developers. The team is providing a platform for game developers to create player-owned economies and producing new tools to provide ownership of in-game assets for content creators and brands to build and customize.

“We are very excited with the support from our new and existing investors, team and board members. We are well capitalized to lead this evolution in gaming economics for PC, console, and mobile games bringing participation from players, brands, eSports teams, and influencers directly into the game economics. We believe this new trend will come to dominate games and can’t wait to bring Blankos Block Party to market to show this new economy in action and share our platform with other incredible game studios around the world,” said John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games.

“Since investing in Mythical’s Series A round last year, we have been incredibly impressed by the team’s execution on the build out of Blankos Block Party and the Mythical Platform. The Blankos gameplay is fun, rich, and engaging. It demonstrates the enrichment player-owned economies can have on a game and we cannot wait for gamers to try it. It has been wonderful to see various large industry partners in the broader gaming and blockchain ecosystem embrace our approach. We are thrilled to lead this round of financing for Mythical Games to support their public launch,” added Alex Gurevich of Javelin Venture Partners.

Alongside its latest investment, Mythical has bolstered its leadership team with four significant hires in Jeff Poffenbarger, Pete Hawley, Nicole Yang, and Greg Deutsch. Jeff Poffenbarger joins as Chief Operating Officer and oversees the running of the company’s day-to-day operations. Most recently he was a Studio Head at Oculus VR with extensive experience as a Senior Executive Producer at Activision and Activision Blizzard leading multiple game launches for the Skylanders, Tony Hawk, and Marvel franchises. Pete Hawley joins as Chief Product Officer in which he will helm the studio’s slate of game and product development and the adoption of the Mythical platform to other game studios and publishers. His expansive games industry background includes roles as SVP of Games at Zynga, Co-Founder/CPO of Red Robot Labs, VP of Product Development at Electronic Arts, and Executive Producer at Lionhead Studios and Criterion heading Burnout Paradise. Nicole Yang joins as Vice President of Marketing to spearhead go-to-market strategy and audience development. Most recently VP of Marketing at Telltale Games and Product Marketing at Zynga, she was an early employee at multiple startups acquired by Activision, Perion Network, and Machine Zone and is an advisor at Humen AI. Greg Deutsch joins as Mythical’s General Counsel and was formerly General Counsel and SVP, Business & Legal Affairs at Activision for many years. Following Activision, he served as General Counsel and advisor for early to growth stage startups in emerging categories including acquisitions by Apple, Facebook, FanDuel, Opera Software, Sony Interactive and Unity Technologies.

Rounding off the investment and hiring, Mythical shared that it has also strengthened its board of directors with the addition of Alex Gurevich (Javelin Venture Partners) and independent board member Rehito Hatoyama (formerly Global COO of Sanrio, Hello Kitty) who join existing board members Sam Englebardt of Galaxy Digital, John Linden, and Jamie Jackson. Rehito’s addition is significant as the studio’s expansion has focused on growing its business to involve global brand partners and influencers in the consumer goods, sports, music and technology space. 

With over 30 full-time employees and offices in Los Angeles and Seattle, Mythical Games was founded in 2018 by CEO John Linden, CCO Jamie Jackson, and VP of Marketplace Services, Rudy Koch. In their previous executive roles at Activision Blizzard, they led world-class development teams for gaming brands including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero Live, Skylanders and more.

About Mythical Games:

Acknowledged by Forbes as one of the Disruptive Technology Companies To Watch in 2019, Mythical Games is enabling a gaming ecosystem that brings players, creators, brands and game developers together through personalized experiences and content. Led by gaming industry veterans, the team specializes in building games around player-owned economies and has helped develop major franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, Marvel Strike Force, Skylanders and Minecraft: Story Mode. For more information, visit: http://mythical.games or follow Mythical on Twitter.

Mythical Games’ first flagship title ‘Blankos Block Party’ is a MMO set in a vibrant online world built on the Mythical platform. Players can compete in games, create their own game play, and blend digital vinyl toys called Blankos. This first game transforms the relationship of game economies for players, brands, content creators and game developers and showcases Mythical’s vision of player-owned economies. For more information or interest in participating in the upcoming beta release, visit: www.blankos.com, or follow Blankos on Twitter or Discord.

DISCOVER THE TIME LIMITED MINI EVENT MONEY HEIST FOR FREE THIS WEEKEND IN TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE

The Professor needs you to take control of the Bank in the Hostage game mode, from November 20^st to November 25^th

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – November 20, 2019 – Today, Ubisoft^® announced a new limited-time mini-event for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six^® Siege based on the hit Netflix Original Series, Money Heist. The event launches November 20^th and will run through November 25^th. From November 21^st, until November 25^th Rainbow Six Siege will also be free-to-play so anyone can experience this crossover event!

This new game mode is set on the map Bank, in the Hostage game mode. The hostage is disguised in the infamous red suit and iconic mask worn by the robbers and their captives in Money Heist.

The Money Heist in-game event will also bring a red suit and mask outfit for Vigil and Hibana. In total, eight unique items will be available, including uniforms, headgear, weapon skins, and charms. These exclusive bundles are available for 1680 R6 Credits. During the event, Rainbow Six Siege will also be discounted significantly, with up to 66% off.

To learn more about the Money Heist event, please visit: Rainbow6.com/MoneyHeist

About Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Alongside a thriving professional esports scene and a community of over 50 million registered players, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts players in the middle of a fast-paced, ever-evolving multiplayer experience grounded in the selection of unique Operators. Using the right mix of tactics and destruction, Rainbow Six teams engage their enemies in sieges, where both sides have exclusive skills and gadgets at their disposal. Defenders prepare by transforming the environments around them into modern strongholds, while attackers use recon drones to gain intel for carefully planning their assault. With access to dozens of Operators inspired by real world counter-intelligence agents from around the globe, players can choose exactly how they want to approach each challenge they encounter. Through the constant addition of new Operators and maps that add to the depth of both strategy and combat, the unpredictability of each round of Rainbow Six Siege sets a new bar for intensity and competition in gaming.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2018-19 fiscal year Ubisoft generated Net Bookings of €2,029 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.

© 2019 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are registered trademarks in the US and/or other countries

First ‘E-Pub’ Novella of Free Eight-Part MechWarrior 5 Origins Series Released, Installments Arriving Every Few Days until MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Launch

Free narrative series establishes characters, leads into the events
of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries

VANCOUVER – Nov. 19, 2019 – Developer Piranha Games today released the first installment of MechWarrior 5 Origins, a free eight-part narrative series leading into the events of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. MechWarrior 5 Origins’ additional stories will be released as e-pubs every few days leading up to the Dec. 10 launch on PC via the Epic Games Store.

The first story, titled The Calm of the Void, begins this collection of eight original works exploring trials endured by Nik’s Cavaliers, establishing the group’s key figures ahead of their roles in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. MechWarrior 5 Origins is penned by Randall Bills, author of over half a dozen novels, and whose led the publication of hundreds of sourcebooks and rulebooks set within the BattleTech and MechWarrior universe over the past two decades. Fans eager to learn more about the fascinating world of MechWarrior can read The Calm of the Void in its entirety here: https://mw5mercs.com/novellas

“It’s such an amazing time to be a BattleTech fan, what with the wild success of Catalyst Game Labs’ Clan Invasion Kickstarter, Harebrained Schemes continued DLCs for their fantastic BATTLETECH game, and now we’re almost at the drop for the highly anticipated MechWarrior 5,” said Randall N. Bills, Managing Developer for Catalyst Game Labs. “I started playing the miniatures game and reading the novels in 1986 and of course ran out and grabbed the very first MechWarrior computer game in 1989. I’m incredibly grateful to once again have the opportunity to contribute to this amazing universe we all love, working with the great team at Piranha. I hope the serial brings the coming MechWarrior 5 alive in wonderful, new ways. I know I can’t wait to hear ‘all systems nominal.’”

Standing as the series’ first mainline installment in nearly two decades, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries puts pilots in charge of their own mercenary outfit across a multi-year campaign set during the Third and Fourth Succession Wars.

Whether calling the shots solo with AI-controlled allies or bringing in up to three friends for reinforcements via cooperative play, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries’ open-ended campaign is rich with player choice. Command leaders will choose which contracts to accept, which sectors of the volatile galaxy to focus on, and which ‘Mechs to take into difficult battles, taking full responsibility for the triumphs and hardships ahead of them.

To keep all systems nominal, stay current with MechWarrior and pre-order MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (https://mw5mercs.com/), visit the MechWarrior Online website (https://mwomercs.com/), and follow Piranha Games on Twitter through @PiranhaGames (https://twitter.com/piranhagames) and @MechWarriorF2P (https://twitter.com/Mechwarriorf2p).

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Shenmue III Available Now for PlayStation®4 and PC

LARKSPUR, CALIF. – NOV 19, 2019 – Today Deep Silver and YS Net celebrate the launch of Shenmue III for the PlayStation 4 and PC. Created by pioneering game designer Yu Suzuki, the road to launching Shenmue III has been a long one. Eighteen years and one record-setting Kickstarter later, the third chapter in this fan favorite series makes its debut on store shelves starting today.  Shenmue III for the PlayStation®4 has an MSRP of $59.99, digital or retail. Shenmue III is available as a PC digital-only download on the Epic Games Store for $49.99. 

Shenmue III sees the continuation of the beloved epic saga which won fans over with its distinct storytelling and immersive atmosphere. In Shenmue III, players will aide martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he investigates his father’s murder.

The next chapter of Ryo’s adventure will lead him through an engrossing open world as he searches for clues, examines objects and gathers information from the people he meets, taking players further into enemy territory, deeper into mystery, and even closer to their destiny.

“Thank you so much for your enduring support these 18 years since Shenmue II… I hope from the bottom of my heart that Shenmue III becomes special for you, truly I thank you!” – Yu Suzuki, Creator of Shenmue

Key Features

One of the most anticipated video games in history, from legendary game developer, Yu Suzuki

Epic Adventure – Immerse yourself in the stunning and magical world of Shenmue

Breathing, Living World – Explore inside and outside buildings, take on part-time jobs, play arcade games, and interact with local inhabitants of beautiful Chinese locales

Martial Arts Action – Put your training and upgraded skills to the test via intense free battles and Quick Time Events

Solve the Mystery – Converse with a colorful and diverse cast of characters and follow leads from those who hold the answers to the mysterious Phoenix Mirror…

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About Shenmue III

Shenmue III is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Dreamcast classics Shenmue (1999) and Shenmue II (2001). The brainchild of award-winning game director, Yu Suzuki, Shenmue set out to combine action gameplay from his arcade classic Virtua Fighter with RPG mechanics to weave a long-form epic for home consoles. Commonly known as one of the most ambitious game projects in history, Shenmue captured the imagination of players from around the world with its unique setting, intimate and cinematic character-focused story, realistic battles, and fun mini-games. Many of the features pioneered in Shenmue are now commonplace in modern games, including open world and Quick Time Event gameplay. Shenmue III was officially announced on stage at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference and simultaneously launched on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, breaking two Guinness World Records upon raising more than $6 million dollars. The game is currently in development at Yu Suzuki’s independent company, Ys Net, located in Tokyo along with many original Shenmue team members.

About Deep Silver

Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.

Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island, and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming highlights from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2 and Saints Row V. Deep Silver also owns the development studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA, and Warhorse Studios based in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com

Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, North America and Australia. The Koch Media group has more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become the number one publishing partner in Europe. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Kaspersky Labs, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Milestone, Sega, Square Enix, etc. in various European countries. With Headquarter in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.

All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.

About Yu Suzuki

Yu Suzuki joined Sega Enterprises Inc.  (currently, Sega Games) in 1983, and produced many big hit games as a programmer, director and producer.  His unique and creative works influenced the game industry in technology, art and culture, and his attitude to produce with the heart of pioneer is well respected by many top creators beyond game industry.  He received “Computer World Smithsonian Award from the Smithsonian Consortium in 1998 and received Hall of Fame award at the AIAS Summit in 2003 as recognition of his contribution to the game industry.  His master pieces of works include “Hung-on”, “Space Harrier” and “Virtua Fighter” series and many more.

About Ys Net Inc.

Ys Net Inc. was established in 2008 in Tokyo as an independent firm for Yu Suzuki to lead game software planning, producing, and development.  It expanded development studio in 2015 along with start of Shenmue III project.